Risks
by VanishRain
Summary: In a twist of fate Brennan is laying in a hospital bed clinging to life and as the seconds slowly fade away his love for her comes crashing down on him. Praying for a second chance he waits by her side to say three small words, "I love you".
1. Beep Beep Beep

If I wanted to be the bigger person I could lie and say that it will all be okay, that she will make it out okay. But I am not the bigger person. I am a feeble and weak individual who knows the risks I must take. If it was my life I would not hesitate but it wasn't my life, it was her life. Our life.

Did I hesitate, putting the only thing in this world that makes sense on the line?

No.

I wish I did. I wish it was me.

I took the risks and accomplished what? The suspect is dead and my partner… my lover… my everything is lying there on the cool concrete and all for what? It is all in vain.

The sirens begin to blare and my mind begins to dull.

The rain hits the concrete, mixing with the tears of a broken heart that was only given one goal in life. One saving grace, one chance to correct all the mistakes I have made. If the world is right in her eyes, then I can die a happy man.

But everything went wrong that fateful day.

It was not supposed to end like this.

It was only supposed to be an undercover op.

A two day sting. Just get in and get out. No one was to get hurt.

But someone did get hurt.

Her.

And in the process I have killed any chance I have at redemption.

She was my one chance at getting it right.

And now I am not much more than a failure.

I see them carry her away on the stretcher and find myself running after her. For I have always ran after her and I always will.

They try to push me out of the door, rambling on about not being family but I don't care. With one thrust I have broken through and find myself at her side.

Crimson stains both her and I. I push a few stray hairs off her face then focus on the big blue circles forming around her checks.

She looks so peaceful. Radiating striking but subtly beautiful. Perfection, the only form.

"I love you." I whisper lightly as I place my lips on her forehead.

I taste blood. Blood of a woman, who bore the heartbreak of a thousand souls, all slain in vain. Finding redemption for humanity in correcting the wrongs of a world gone so wrong.

She truly is an angel in human form.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeep.

Silence.


	2. Forty Eight Hours Earlier

"Ready to roll, Sarah?" I knock on the bathroom door.

"I don't see what this has to do with my role as a..." She strolls out of the bathroom, staring at a piece of paper. "lady?" She looks up at me. "What in the world is that?" She slaps the piece of paper.

"Bones, you look… wow, just wow." I twirl her around in front of me, burning the image of every inch of her into my memory.

"Sarah."

"Huh?"

"My name is Sarah, remember?"

"Oh. Oh yeah. Sarah, you look radiating."

"Bo- Scott, it is just jeans."

"And a very revealing top." I flick the thin fabric and she blushes.

"I just don't understand the reasoning behind the clothing choices," she eyes me; "you had your hand in this didn't you?"

"Me? No." I smile and shake my head.

"Uh huh. So you let someone else in the FBI decide what I wear? You don't even let me pick out my own chapstick. I doubt you would let another man decide what I wear?" She twirls around once more.

The jeans she has on hug her in all the right places and leaves very little room for the imagination. And the top? Even though she protests I know she loves it. I may just be a man but I know how women work. She can deny that she even accepts my choice in her attire but when you have her best friend on speed dial, there is no denying it. She loves dressing sexy.

"What? You're my partner, it only makes sense that I would have a say in these things. We spend more time together then apart and I do have to look at them all day, every day. You choose my belt buckle, I choose your chapstick. Only seems far." I smile.

"You only have one belt buckle!" She rolls her eyes. "So the fact that I only own strawberry chapstick has nothing to do with your love of strawberries?" She turns and places her hands on her hips; we both know the answer to that one.

"So? I don't see you complaining. And we both know you love the chapstick, admit it. You know you want it too." I flash a grin.

"I don't have time for this." She turns and quickly walks out of the apartment. I reach the door to find her standing in front of the corvette, smiling. "So you made them write SUV on the slip again?" She smiles as she slides into the car.

"No," I slide into the driver's seat and turn to her, "babe, we have to roll in style. I'm a high end pills dealer, and you're my woman. We gotta fit the part. Do you see drug dealers driving around in a supped up SUV? No. They have cool cars. Collectables. Just like my women." I lean in and give her a peck on the check. She instantly turns as read as a tomato.

"That" She turns to me, "better not become a regular occurrence. At the end of the night I still am Bones and you still are Booth." She looks away and puts her hand to her check.

"Just playing my role, babe. Just playing my role." I put the top down and pull out.

"So where are the guns?" She begins opening the counsel. "All I see is paper."

"We won't need a gun. The bureau thought since it was just a two day gig and with our clientele, they believe that we will be fine. What could possibly go wrong? All we have to do is give rich little brats party pills. No big deal. In two short days you will be back in your bed." I smile, before turning onto the freeway.

I didn't know how wrong I could possibly be.


	3. Twenty Hours Ago

"The FBI really outdid themselves this time." I hear her walking room to room before placing her bag on the bed in the master bedroom. "So where are you going to sleep?" She turns to me and smiles.

"Where do you think?" I take a running leap toward the bed, jumping on it with a loud thud.

"But this is where I am sleeping…"

"So?" I roll over and look up at her.

She scrunches her face and frowns.

"Bones, we have slept in the same bed before."

"Yes but… um…" She bite her lip, "that was out of necessity. There are many bedrooms for you to choose from here."

"Who says it isn't a necessary now?" I sit up, "You are my woman… in this op and as my woman, we should sleep in the same bed."

"I don't follow." She sits on the corner of the bed.

"You wanted to be part of this undercover operation."

"Correct."

"Well to be part of this op, you are supposed to be my woman, my girl, my girlfriend. If we were in a relationship and having a sexual relationship then we would sleep in the same bed."

"What if we just say we are abstaining from sex? For um… um…"

"Just get over here." I pat the bed next to me. "I got something special for you." I wiggle my eyes at her and smile.

"This is so irrational. So…"

"Oh you love it." I pull her waist until she makes contact with the bed. I release my hands and lean back onto the headboard." Come on…" I pat next to me.

She looks back at me then begins scooting toward the end of the bed.

"Bones, you wanted to be part of the undercover operation and that involves acting as my girlfriend." I look away, trying to push back my desires, "Now get over here before I make you." I lunge at her playfully.

She nods slowly then slips back on the bed. As soon as her back makes contact with the headboard I set a box down.

"What is this?" She looks down at the box in her hands.

"You're my girl, and I treat my girl right." I pop the top open to reveal a diamond studded necklace.

"Booth?" She looks up at me but instead of seeing my face, all she can see is the necklace.

"Just wear it, okay?" I unclasp it and hold it up. "Just think of it as me getting into my role."

She just nods as I slip the cool metal against her porcelain skin.


	4. Present Day

"Mr. Booth, these are all the personal articles that were found on her." A nurse slips a clear bag into my shaking hands.

I nod slowly as I begin to tremble again. Her most prized items, the contents of her life fit perfectly in a small bag. At what point do we become just an accumulation of stuff?

I open the bag and inhale its scent. A mix of dirt, flowers and chocolate is still faintly on them. I never again will think the same of those things.

Her keys, her mother's ring, the earrings she got on her last dig.

And there it is.

I pull out the silver necklace and clench it in my fist.

I look up and the beeping and flashing lights suddenly begin to blur. The only thing in focus is the shell of a woman I once knew, her science is the only thing keeping her alive.

"Bones," I reach my hand out, cradling her cool, clammy one in my own, "please just come back to me… please?" The tears begin to flow but I don't care who knows it. I love this woman, "I need you."

I flip the necklace over in my hands, reading the etching in the metal.

To my partner, my best friend and my faithful companion. I love you.

I release her hand quickly and flip the necklace over onto my wrist.

I press the metal further and further into my skin, hoping to burn it into my life for eternity. Burning memories of her into my soul forever. For she has imprinted her perfection onto my heart, bringing it back to life.

I push it so deep; my wrist begins to bleed as the metal cuts into my skin. My fresh blood swirls and mixes with the crusted, dark crimson stains on my skin.

"Sir, you are bleeding…" I hear a woman speak in the background.

I ignore her and keep pushing it further and further. I push it in until the blood begins to flow deep, turning the diamonds a bright red. She bled. I am bleeding. I don't see the big deal. If she dies, I will die along with her.

"Bones, please… please tell me you are in there." I place my hand onto hers and feel her finger lift slightly then fall back down.

"She moved! She moved!" I shout as I look up at the nurse checking her vitals.

"Sir, she is in a coma. That is just a spasm." She resumes writing, "She is incapable of moving in this state."

You don't know my Bones, lady. If she is determined to do something, it will get done.

I press my lips to her forehead; the skin is so cool it feels as though her life has left her body.

"She doesn't know what she is talking about, Bones" I stroke her hand with my own, "Baby, I know you're in there and I will wait until my last breath for you to return to me." I whisper until I smile for the first time in the last twenty four hours.

"Booth?" I hear and snap my head back to find a hysterical woman pacing, blood shot eyes telling the tale of how quickly things can change.

"There is a little squint in training here who would like to see her." She steps to the side and I see a somber little boy in her place. His eyes red and his head hanging low.

"Dad… there is something I need to tell her. Can we have some time alone?" He asks without looking up, taking a few steps forward and placing a single red rose on her bedside. He looks back at me, "Dad, I need to tell her I love her too." He points to my wrist and the blood that is now pooling on the floor.

I just nod and watch as he leans over the bed. He lightly pushes the wires and tubes out of his way and whispers lightly in her ear. A few moments later he touches her check lightly then steps away.

"She will wake up dad," He looks up at me as the tears stream down his stained face, "she just as to."

He slowly walks out the room and down the hall.

"Hear that Bones?" I choke out, "You have to wake up." I look down at my wrist then up at her, "You just have too."

And slowly I lose the battle of wills between my heart and my alpha-male status. The tears begin to come rushing out as I watch for any signs of movement. And now I know these tears will never cease until she opens her eyes once more.


	5. Sixteen Hours Earlier

"It's easy. We just go in, give them the pills then get out." I turn to her and smile.

"Then why I am I here? Clearly you do not need me to hand some juvenile delinquent this bag." She points to the bag of white pills in her lap.

"I don't neeeed you here. But I want you here." I smile, "You wanted to be part of the op, didn't you?"

"Yes but I do-"

"You're my lady," I run my hand between the necklace and her skin, "and I want my girlfriend here. If you don't want to play the role, I am sure Payton would."

"No, no, no. It is fine. Now what am I supposed to do?" She turns to me and smiles, jealousy written all over her face.

"I'm not sure I should let you go. I mean I could just turn this car around…"

"Booth!" She whines, placing her hand on my thigh.

"Still not convinced."

I hear her pout then silence.

"What if I… um… dinner on me? Anywhere you want to go." She slips her hand into my inner thigh and I attempt to focus on parking but as my thigh begins to burn all I can focus on is the hand that is slowly slipping further and further down.

"Wh… what?" My voice wavers. Does she know where her hand is? Clearly this is a mistake. Just one big mistake. Ha. Keep telling yourself that Seeley, that woman controls everything. Every-thing.

"Dinner on me."

I turn to her and blink.

"On you?"

"Not on my physical body." She chuckles lightly. "I will pick up the tab, pay the bill. I thought you understood social colloquiums."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." I nod as I kill the engine.

"Scott… is that the house?" She points up the long driveway toward the mansion.

"Wh-…" I finally draw my eyes from her hand and look up, "Yep, sweet isn't it?"

She nods slowly then affixes her gaze on me. I can feel her eyes bore into me with a blazing passion.

"Scott…"

I turn to her and her glares intensify.

"Yes?"

Her eyes dart from me to her door and back.

"Oh." I nod then my eyes suddenly look down. I suddenly realize the shooting pain in my thigh is her nails digging into it.

"Sarah… your hand?"

"Oh." She looks down, "Ohhh." She finally releases me from her grasp then resumes her glaring.

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Maybe I shouldn't let you be my girlfriend." I roll my eyes then laugh.

"Don't laugh." She smiles as I pull her door open, "You know you love it." She takes my extended hand and slips out of the car.

She's right. I do love it.

More than she will ever know.


	6. Present Day Pt 2

"Seeley," I really should say something about that but I am too tired to care, "it has been three days. Go home, get some sleep, take a shower and in a few hours come back." I feel a comforting hand on my shoulder but I refuse to look up. My eyes ache from the tears that refuse to stop flowing. My body is drained and I look half dead. No one should see me like this.

No one should see me admit defeat.

"Thanks but no thanks Camille. I… I just can't." I finally look up, "What if she wakes up?"

"That is very doubtful. I have seen her charts. She is stable but her vitals are not strong enough. The bullet hit-" I jerk my gaze down and shutter slightly, "you have time. Just go home even to take a shower. You don't want the first thing to see when she wakes up is a grizzly bear, do you?"

I stand up but don't walk. Camille shoves me forward.

"Seeley, go." She smiles.

I turn and look back to the bed. Colour has finally returned to her fingertips but the rest of her body looks as a white as a ghost.

"If she wakes up, I promise you that you will be the first person I call." I nod slightly, "I promise."

I was as if on auto-pilot to my SUV. I slip into the passenger seat and begin to sob. The smells of my partner engulf me and take over my being as my depression deepens. I look over to the driver's side and the blood stains that draw a line around my frame. I begin trailing my finger up and down the crusty red blotches, reliving the night over and over looking for what I did wrong.

A tapping on the glass sends me out of my reverie.

"What ya doing, studly?" She asks through the glass.

I shrug.

"I read the reports. It was not your fault." She puts her hand on my shoulder but I shrug it off, "It was just an accident. She stepped in front of the bullet. There was nothing you could have done."

"Yeah… for me." I mumble then look up at Angela, "I think I love her."

She chuckles lightly and hugs me tight.

"You are just figuring that out?"

"No, Angela. I mean really love her. Like the type of love that sends you into a tailspin when they cry." I wipe away a single tear then look down again, "I think I am dying without her."

I fumble through my counsel and pull out a velvet blue box. I set it in Angela's hands and she pops the top then gasps.

"Booth, this is… wow."

"It was my grandmother's. I know she doesn't like anything flashy but I just thought…"

"Oh Booth, she'll love it. I didn't even know you two were that serious… or even dating." She eyes me. "I have lost my touch."

"We're not." I shake but steady myself against the seat, "But if… when… she wakes up I need to ask her. Promise me you will keep this until then."

"When, Booth, when she wakes up. Just give her time. That woman is stubborn as hell and will only wake up when she is good and ready."

"And Angela?" I ask as she turns to walk away.

"Yeah?" She turns back.

I fumble through my wallet and pull out the necessities.

"Keep this. I don't need another excuse to hit the cards. Only let me us the debt card if someone is watching me." She takes my wallet then freezes, "I'm serious."

"Oh, I know. And if she found out I let you gamble she would have my head."

I laugh briefly then stand and walk around the car.

"Where are you going?" She asks, following.

"The only place I feel home." I let out a sigh, hoping I have the keys in my pocket.

"Oh, there is some Chinese in your fridge."

"I didn't say my apartment. My home." I pick up the keys and jingle them, "The only place my heart feels safe."

"Oh. Well you better pick up something on the way. All she has at home is rotten fruit and gerbil food."

We share a smile as I slip in the car and she walks toward the hospital door and for a brief second I feel the excitement of finally going where I belong.


	7. Present Day Pt 3

I push the door open and I am flooded with all things Temperance Brennan. I glance around the living room. The place is much more of a mess then I have ever seen it. There are papers scattered around the coffee table and she even has a glass on her side table.

I pick up the glass and walk into the kitchen. I chuckle at the post-it notes that fill her fridge. Once I place the empty glass in the dishwasher, I take a quick side step to the fridge. The notes are mostly filled with dates to remember and groceries but the singular bright pink one catches my eye.

'Wash Booth's clothes'

Wash my clothes, eh?

Well I will have to find exactly what clothes she has of mine. I make a b-line to the closet and begin shuffling through the items. It is mostly coats and a few of her sweaters but obviously nothing of mine.

If I were my clothing in Bones' possession where would I be?

I pace in a circle in the hallway and suddenly a silver box catches my eye. I stand in the doorway and lean into the bedroom, knowing if I cross that threshold there is no going back. I will lose what little remaining sanity I have left.

The box stands out like a sore thumb. I know it is the answer to my question. Surprisingly, her bedroom is girly for Bones standards. The room is painted a light lavender and the pastels that fill the room match quite nicely.

I attempt to move the six inches into the room but my feet won't budge. The tears just begin to start falling again.

I begin to shake as I look down. My once crystal tears have turned a very dark red as it swirls with the blood that cakes every inch of my skin. I lean down and focus on the light red pool at my feet. Is this all I am going to have left of her, a puddle of sorrow and DNA?

'Booth, we are all made up of bodily fluids.' I hear in my mind and soon smile at her voice calling me once more. 'Wait… you are being metaphorical aren't you?'

But soon that smile is fleeting as my body thrashes about on the wood floor. I cannot take this pain anymore. My body is slowly slipping away without her. She is the only thing that brings life into this hallow vessel. Without her I am just a shell of a man.

'Bones, I'm coming for you.' I plead as I slowly slip into the recesses of hell, waiting for the sorrow to end.

If going to the pits of hell is what it takes to win back my life, then that is what I must do. I just hope I have the strength left.


	8. Fifteen Hours Ago

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I turn her to her and smile, rubbing my thumb through the mound of cash in my hand.

"The skill set required for this type of mission is one that many people have acquired."

I eye her then nod slowly. "Uh… sure."

"What? It is not hard to be a criminal, Booth. Once you acquire the aptitude to break the law that is."

I just smile and pull out onto the main street. The sunset on this side of town is really pretty. From here you can see the sun set over the city. I glance down at the radio and smile. We have a few hours before we have to report to the safe house.

"Booth… where are we going?" She turns to me, frantically gripping my arm.

"Not much farther."

"The house is in the other direction." She whips her head around, "And this does not look like another drug deal… especially on this side of town."

"That, it is not." I pull down a side street and park.

I walk to her side of the car to find her buckled and facing forward.

I chuckle lightly as I open the door.

"What do you think you are doing, Bones?"

"Waiting to go home." She turns to me, eyes wide as I unbuckle her seat, "What are YOU doing?"

"Just come on. Come with me." I extend my hand, "Please?"

"Where are we going?"

"There." I thrust my free hand behind me, "Haven't you ever wanted to watch the sun set?"

I see her eyes narrow and focus forward. I know she is weighing her options. Before I know what has hit me, she runs past me and down the hill.

"Bones!... Bones!..." I chase after her.

I make it over the top of the hill and find her at the bottom of the hill, sitting on the grass staring up.

She looks so perfect. The moonlight hits her just right and casts a shadow a mile wide, just like her soul. It is worn and frayed at the edges but still perfect. And in that imperfection is where I fell in love.

I smile and slowly walk down to her.

"It looks beautiful from down her." She speaks, refusing to look away.

"Yeah, it does." I sit next her and wrap my arm around her shoulder, "But not as pretty as you."

She turns to me and blinks.

"Wh- what?" She stammers.

"You. No one will ever be able to match your beauty." I speak sheepishly then turn away.

I feel her smile and blush.

"I think you're pretty too, Booth."

"But Bones, I-" I begin to speak but soon find her lips on mine.

She presses them softly against mine then quickly pulls away and looks up again.

"Booth, we should come here more often. These sunsets are amazing." She speaks staring into the array of orange that is filling the night sky.

"Yeah, Bones. We should." I speak, refusing to break my gaze from the prettiest thing on this earth.

The woman in my arms is pure perfection. And in this singular moment is only mine. All the wrongs I have ever committed seem to wash away, as I wrap my arms around the woman I love. I know she is my guardian angel, sent to earth to save what is left of this wretch of a man.

"Bones," I whisper into her hair, "You breathe life into me."

Without saying a word, she extends her hand and holds mine in her lap.

Gazing up at the sky I know her mind is reeling.

And for the first time in her left, Temperance Brennan is not fleeing.


	9. Present Day Pt 4

I wake up to find myself in her bathroom, naked. I look behind me to see tear drenched clothing scattered across her bed and the box missing from its spot tucked next to her bed.

I turn to search for the box but feel something make contact with my feet. I look down to find the box empty before me. My eyes scan the tile floor, trying to piece together the last hour.

Why do I not remember the last hour? The last thing I remember is… oh… am I dead? I check my pulse; it is weak but still there. Think, Seeley, think.

I begin to remember bits and fragments then my mind suddenly goes black, erasing anything I had hoped to remember.

"Damnit Bones," I mumble in a fit of anger, "see what you took from me? I can't even have my own memories anymore. First my heart, then my love then you and now… now my memories. Just take it all, Bones, just kill me why don't ya!"

I wait for a response but all I hear is silence. Oh well, it is better than a lecture I suppose.

"I am already dead inside." I finally concede.

I reach down and grab the first item before me. It is a clip from the newspaper about our first case. I laugh as I skim the yellowed document. They had wanted to include a picture of the two of us but we hated each other so much they had to settle on a picture of a bone. A femur bone, her choice. It is funny how drastically different we are from who were but deep down how we are still the same. Everything is always her choice, always.

I gently set the paper back in the box and reach down, collapsing as the fabric runs through my fingers. This is the tie I was wearing when I had my operation for my tumor. She said they lost it but clearly it was not lost, she had it. My fingers reach halfway down the tie and stop at the sudden change in texture.

I flip the tie over to find a small piece of paper tucked in it. I lightly pull the paper out and unfold it. It is tattered and wrinkled from what looks like tear stains.

_This book is dedicated to the best partner, my best friend and most importantly: the love of my life, Special Agent Seeley Joseph Booth._

Booth, we both know you will have an advanced copy of this book. When you read this, call me. Maybe we could have dinner?

I let out a light laugh, was she trying to ask me out? Soon the bright red hue that covers the paper is in focus. I quickly scan the front then flip it over and read the back. It is a list of reasons why I could possibly not feel the same, even down to the type of coffee she drinks.

I love that she drinks sissy drinks!

I expel the breath I have been holding, tuck the paper back into the tie and gently set it back in the box. I look down at the items that are still scattered across the floor and let out a sigh. They chronicle the last five years very in-depth, ranging from trinkets that remind her how I smell to full on declarations of her love for me.

I don't even need to read them to understand. I too have a similar box at home, except until today it held something every special, my commitment to her. The ring my grandmother made me promise to give to the woman who I love more than life itself. No other woman could come close to Temperance, for she has always had my heart.


	10. Present Day Pt 5

I slowly step into the shower and turn the water on, letting it run over me. The tears and dried blood that have become my only confidant for the last three days swirl at the drain and disappear as quickly as they came.

I feel my face for tears but they are staying safely tucked away.

Once the water has run cold I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel. I inhale sharply then feel a sense of accomplishment. I have finally accepted reality.

The love of my life is fighting for her life… for me. And now I must fight for her. I slip on my blood laced clothing and gather up the items from the box and gently place then inside. I glance across the room at the clock.

I have an hour until her nightly nurse will be at her bedside and I must be there for her. She never really did like the idea of random strangers touching her and I must be there to protect her. To keep her safe when she cannot.

I place the box under my arm and quickly run out her apartment. I deadbolt the lock and soon find myself standing in front of my passenger side door. I slowly open the door and set the box inside, buckling it in for good measure.

I let out a sigh as soon as I pull out of her parking complex. Traffic is bumper to bumper for miles. I close my eyes and when I open them a lane suddenly opens up. It takes me twenty minutes but I finally make it to my apartment.

I run through my apartment and directly toward my closet. I pull at the contents that are scattered across the floor until I find a bright purple box. I run my fingers over the top, clearing the dust and cobwebs as memories of that box begin to form.

I glance toward my dresser and debate on changing but I suddenly realize I will not have enough time. I fly out the door and make it to the hospital in record time.

I unbuckle both boxes and gently carry them into the hospital.

I sit down and place the boxes on my lap just as the door opens.

"Agent Booth." The woman behind me smiles.

"Evening, Sarah." I turn to her and smile. I watch as she begins to write. I place my hand on the bed and suddenly she turns to me.

"She is starting to look better this evening, don't you think?"

"Uh… huh?" I look up from the shaking boxes in my lap.

"Her vitals." She leans over and points to the chart, "They are better than they were a couple of hours ago."

I look up and smile the first true smile in days.

"Now I cannot guarantee anything but…" she places her hand on my arm, "things are looking better."

I lean over the bed and cannot help but smile.

"I told them you would make it through." I whisper as I place my lips on her forehead just as Sarah turns to leave.

"Seeley?"

I look back at Sarah.

"Yes, Sarah?"

"I know that they usually try to kick you out of her room around midnight but I have pulled some strings and you should be able to stay with your girlfriend tonight." She winks at me then quickly runs to the monitors, something has caught her eye.

She grabs the printout and flips through the paperwork, looking up at me then back down.

"Agent Booth?"

"Yes?"

"I know this might be inappropriate but did you happen to kiss her at 3:42 a.m. this morning… 7:46 a.m. … 9:28 a.m. ..." She looks up at me and blushes, "but not at all before then?"

"Um… sounds about right. Why?" I suddenly begin to become frantic. Have my kisses been harming her?

She lets out a laugh then places her hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing to worry about. It seems you have the magical touch." She walks past me toward the door.

"The magical touch?"

"Yes. At those exact moments her heart skipped a beat and when they checked her vitals the next hour, she had improved." She leaves the room laughing and I can hear her laugh down the hall.

"Why didn't you tell me all you needed was a kiss, Bones?" I laugh as I open the box.

I place the box on her stomach and lean into the bed, pulling out the item on top. I hesitate and place the item back in the box.

"You see Bones… I went to your apartment this afternoon" I hold up my hand out of habit but soon place it over hers, "and I found a box… a box of memories of sorts. I am not sure how I opened it but…" I look down, "you see… I have one as well…"

I stand up and pace around the bed then sit back down. This shouldn't be that hard. It is just a box of things that remind you of her, nothing more.

"And the box that is now sitting on you is that exact box. They keep telling me that you are not aware of your surroundings but they do not know you as well as I do, Bones, no one does. I know you can hear me."

I sit on the edge of the bed and start pushing the contents of the box around absent mindedly.

"And well, I thought if you knew how much you meant to me… you'd wake up. I love you, Bones. I really do. I thought that maybe… just maybe… you needed to know that too. Proof and all."

I reach into the box and pull out an item, a smile breaks over my face as the memories flood my being.

"Bones, don't laugh but…"


	11. Twelve Hours Earlier

"So what do you want for breakfast?" I begin opening the cabinets. "Oh! Captain Crunch." I pull out the box and set it on the counter.

I hear slamming of drawers coming from down the hall.

"Are you okay?" I turn to walk out the kitchen but suddenly my body refuses to move. She looks radiating.

"Yes. I was just…" She clenches her fists, "looking for something."

"Oh, want some help?" I divert my gaze toward the floor, knowing that if I look up I will not be able to look away from the curves of a woman who is in very little cloth.

She takes a step forward and now her feet are in my view. My eyes slowly trail up her form, and then glue themselves to her blue orbs.

"No, it's fine." She tries to look away but my gaze holds her in place, "Do you know if we have any fruit?" She finally breaks free from my visual grasp, scanning the room before her, "I am not really hungry."

"There is a bowl on the counter." I step forward, placing my hand on her check to find it slightly damp, "What is it that you lost?"

"Oh, it is nothing. Really… it is nothing." She walks around me and directly toward the overflowing bowl of fruit. She picks up each fruit, delicately scanning them, trying to divert her attention.

"Okay." I walk over to the counter and resume my hunt for a bowl. "Well I found your necklace" I pull it out of my pocket and place it gently on the counter, "on the living room floor this morning. You really need to be more careful with that thing." I try to keep the sorrow from my words but it is evident how I feel.

I turn to walk to another set of cabinets, to find her lips graze mine. "Thank you." The hum of her lips against mine sends me into a trace that is suddenly broken when she turns. "If you wouldn't mind…"

"Huh?" I blink, trying to focus but all I can focus on is the burning of my lips.

"The necklace. Can you please put it on my neck?" She lifts her hair and waits.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." I clench the metal in my hand before slowly sliding it across her neck. My hands make contact with her porcelain skin and she begins to turn flush.

"Thanks… Seeley" She presses her lips up against mine then darts off back into the bedroom to change.

And now I am left wondering, what exactly is it that she lost?


	12. Present Day Pt 6

I hear a knock and turn just as the door opens.

"Angela I told you- oh, hi Payton." I glare.

"Hacker said that I could find you here" She speaks, looking down at papers before her, "I need you to sign off on your…" She looks up and slightly smiles, "oh, is that Doctor Brennan."

"Yes it is. Now if you would please excuse us…" I drop a tie in the box and stand, trying to prevent her from advancing.

"All I need is one little signature…" She looks up at me dripping with seduction, "and if you needed anything…" She trails her hand down my shirt, smearing the blood all the way down to my belt.

I jerk back and stager up against the chair.

"No, Payton. Whatever you want it is NOT going to happen. Especially in front of my girlfriend. Now please… that paper?"

"Girl… friend?" She stumbles over my words.

"Oh she is much more than that." I look behind me and smile.

Her eyes dart between the shell of a woman on the bed and me. The fury in her eyes begins to intensify as her mind slowly deciphers my words.

"But she… I…" She stammers, clenching the papers and shaking them violently.

"She what? Is beautiful, smart, compassionate… everything I could want and more?" I pull the paper from her hands, "And you? Well you never had a chance, Payton." I pull a Jeffersonian pen out of my pocket and sign them, placing them back in her hands.

She expels a hard breath then looks down at the signed papers in her hands.

"Well… I am sure Cullen will love to hear about this little… arrangement."She shears as she opens the door slightly.

"I am sure he will. It has been years. He even sent us to couple's counseling. I am sure he will be very, very happy his best FBI agent is finally happy." I snicker as she slams the door in my face.

"Sorry about that Bones, now where were we?" I sit back down and caressing her hand slowly, "Oh yeah… my socks current hue." I pull up my pant leg to show neon pink and orange socks.

"I am not sure if you remember this but a few weeks ago you made a comment that you loved the colour orange on me and well… I only wear these for you."

The door opens once more and I let out a groan. How am I supposed to convince her to wake up if I keep getting interrupted?


	13. Present Day Pt 7

"Hey Booth… I thought…" I hear behind me, as my teeth begin to grind.

"Agent Sullivan." I spit, refusing to turn around.

"I see the rumors are true." I hear his feet finally come to a stop a few feet from my chair.

"Uh huh." I clench Bone's hand tightly, watching as the colour slowly slips from her fingertips. The man is killing her!

"I just thought… if…" He raises his hand to place it on my shoulder but I grab it mid air, twisting then releasing it.

"Before you say anything, first know this: I am an FBI agent and I will find you if you make a single tear roll down her cheek. And second… I hate you… Bones hates you… and finally she is mine."

I turn around and glare.

"And she will always be mine. Always."

He nods slowly, completely destroyed.

"You know… she has always loved you."

"Save it Sullivan. I am sick of your pity party." I release Bone's hand, shooting up and getting in his face, "You" I dig my forefinger in his t-shirt "left her in shambles and who had to pick up the pieces? Me! You had your chance and you left the perfection over there. I don't care your reason. You knew what you were leaving and you know what… YOU LEFT! Clearly you are good at leaving so please… take those ten cent shoes and turn that sorry butt around and leave."

He opens his mouth to speak but snaps it shut in response to my unwavering glare.

"Take care of her, Booth." Is the last thing I hear before the door slams.

"I will." I walk across the room, shuffling through the contents of my duffle bag, "I always have."

"You know what, Bones. I think it is time to start fresh. A clean slate. I know you want to ramble on about it not being physically possible but until you decide to wake up, you revoke your right to argue."

I pull my soaked shirt off my pale skin, letting it drop with a thud in the corner of the room.

"Now let's see what we have here… AC/DC or Black Sabbath?" I thumb through the t-shirts, smiling at Angela's choices.

"Well the AC/DC shirt is a bit tight… so Black Sabbath then? I know you say you are an alpha-female but I know a certain someone has a tendency to get a bit jealous…" I snicker, knowing if she was awake she would kill me.

The heart beat monitor begins beeping incessantly and I let out a chuckle.

"Okay, okay. Shirtless then."

The beeping starts up again and I let out a groan.

"I give up. I can never win with you."

I throw the two shirts down in a heap, throwing my hands in the air. The door begins to slowly open once more and I roll my eyes. Who can it be now?

"I swear if you-" I begin but suddenly stop when it registers who it is.

She eyes me then smiles.

"You realize she is in a coma currently Seeley? Walking around her room naked will not make her magically wake up."

Suddenly all the monitors begin beeping in unison. Cam frantically runs to her side but I just let out a chuckle.

"See what you have done! You have made the woman frantic." I slip on the first shirt I find and walk to the bedside. "Bones… babe… please calm down." I place her hand on my shirt, running it up and down. "See, I am fully clothed."

The beeping begins to slow then starts up again when Cam shuffles her feet.

"Bones… I promise you, Cam was not looking. This body is for you and you alone." I press my lips to her forehead and smile, "And when you wake up… I will prove it to you." I look up and smile at the concern written all over Cam's face. In a few short years they have come a long way, "But as long as your eyes are closed, the shop is closed." I slump back against the rail of the bed, stroking her forehead lightly.

Bone's middle finger lifts slightly then falls as gravity takes over.

"Seeley." Cam gasps.

"Yeah?"

"Her finger… it lifted."

"Yeah, it does that all the time. It means she usually doesn't understand something, or is frustrated." I smile, running my fingers over hers. "Oh! Oh! So you want to know about the shops closed thing?"

Her thumb barely lifts then falls followed by the middle.

"Shh. It's okay. You will be strong enough soon." I press my hand on hers as I feel each of her fingers hit mine then bounce down.

"Well if you are going to be like that then maybe I won't tell you!" I mockingly scoff.

Her ring finger lifts slightly then comes crashing down, twice in succession.

"Fine, fine. You win. It meant that until you wake up you cannot have my body." I place my hand on hers and push down hard, "And before you say anything… I know what you are going to say so don't even try to get out of this one missy, you love my body." I snicker. "You find it sexy…" I speak, dripping with seduction.

Bones is silent. For the first time in her left, the woman is speechless.

"They… lifted!" Cam stutters, stopping our minds on their slippery sloops down the gutter.

"We have already established this Cam."

"Yes, but people in a coma are not able to able to lift their limbs in response to verbal stimuli."


	14. Present Day Pt 8

"I'm sorry Mr. Booth but all of these tests still point to her being a vegetative state." The head nurse flips through the charts once more then lets out a sigh. "I am truly sorry." She places her hand on my shoulder.

"I understand, I just thought…"

"We understand your apprehension but maybe you should go home, maybe take a break from this tedium?"

"I… I…"

"We have a game room downstairs. It is usually for families of terminal patients but I can see if I can get a pass arranged for you."

"I'll think about it." I huff then resume my pacing.

"It will be at the front desk, if you are interested."

I nod then she leaves as quickly as she came.

"Why do you have to be so damned stubborn, huh?" I lean over the bed and glare, "All I ask of you is that you wake up. I don't even care if you hate me, just WAKE UP!"

I glance to my left to find her attempting to rub her forefinger against my arm.

"Don't even start with me missy." I release my hand from her side and her finger instantly drops. "Your ploys at sympathy will not work anymore. What do you want from me? I have told you I love you, told you all my deepest secrets and even cried over you. I have done everything short of dying for you. Is that what you really want? Me dead?" I place my forehead on hers and exhale a sharp breath causing a light spray against her porcelain skin, "Is it? Is it? 'Cause Bones, you're killing me."

My blood begins to boil as the last few days replay over and over in my mind. Does she think I would not do everything in my power to get her to wake up? I have taken a bullet for the woman on numerous occasions, in my book it is clear I would do anything for her.

I take a few deep breaths but my body just increasingly tenses. I have never been angrier with this woman and she has done some really stupid things. And this coma thing… well it just takes the cake!

"I am sorry that Sweets didn't tell you when I wasn't really dead… so you cannot hold that over me." I practically climb on the bed and growl, "Besides that I have no clue what you are so angry about. In the last six months I have done nothing but treat you as the queen you are. I love you. I want to marry you. I admitted it. Happy now? "

I lean back and cross my arms just as the door begins to open.

"Lunch time!" Angela storms in carrying two paper bags. "Sorry studly, no milkshake though." She places the bags on the desk to the side then her eyes dart between Bones and I.

"Did I walk in on something?" She eyes me as I slowly slide off the bed and walk toward the door.

"Just the truth." I look back at the bed and my heart instantly sinks. What was I thinking? Clearly the woman is not ready for the truth.

"Oh." Angela slumps into the chair beside the bed, hoping the tension in the room will lift.

"And Angela?" I turn in the doorway.

"Yes, Studly?"

"When she wakes up, she will know where to find me." I flip a single poker chip and it lands squarely in Bone's outstretched hand.

As the door shuts behind me, I hear Angela ecstatically shouting my name but I continue my slow descent down the hall.

"How may I help you, Sir?" A young nurse asks, reaching her hand out to graze mine.

"Seeley Booth, I was told you had a card for me?"

"Let me see here…" She shuffles her papers then sets a paper down before me.

"Second floor, to the right. It has a bright purple door, you can't miss it." Her tone suddenly shifts from flirtatious to serious.

I nod, glancing down at the note attached to the card,

"To the boyfriend to the young woman in 34-C, although I am assured the tests are correct… we both knew she woke up."

"Booth! Booth!" I hear as my body suddenly hits the tile floor. "You'll never guess what she did! She… she…" Angela frantically shouts as I roll us onto our sides.

"…caught the poker chip." I whisper, pulling us both to our feet.

"Uh huh. How did you know?" She beams.

"How do you think I knew?" I turn and continue down the hall to the elevator.

"But Booth… where are you going?" Angela huffs. "She's awake!"

"Why don't you go and ask her?" I giggle, stepping inside the elevator. "She'll know why."


	15. Present Day Pt 9

As I lift my head from my folded hands, the mood in the room instantly shifts. Without looking back I know it is him. He would be the only one she would send to find me… that she trusted with the truth. At least if he screwed up, she could be the one to leave this time.

"Max… I know you mean well and I know your daughter would love to see you…"

"Can it Booth." He takes a few steps forward then stops, realizing he is in a chapel he retreats, "We both know Tempe has never been good with emotions or feelings or anything girly really. I blame it on her mother and her fem-"

"Max!" My head drops back into my hands with a groan. Could this get any worse?

"I may not know the details about your undercover operation but I do know how you feel about my daughter. I know you told her you loved her and I know you, you used the m-word."

And… he went there, great just great. If at any time I needed a crazy lunatic stalker, this would be that time. But instead I am stuck with Max. I guess that is close enough.

"Marriage, Max." I turn around to find the man standing before me on the verge of tears, for the first time in his life he sees his daughter not as the child he left but as the woman who I will one day call my own. "It is not just a word. Max… I love her."

"And she loves you too."

I eye the man then slump back, defeated.

"Then why won't she wake up? If she loved me she… she would wake up. If she cared she wouldn't have ran in front of the bullet. She knows I can't live without her. She knew the consequences… she knew I would have taken it for her!" I stand, shaking, and follow the man down the hall, knowing this is no longer where I need to be.

"She did it for you. Despite what you believe, you are the center of her world. She may attempt to use her science to cover up her true feelings but the woman is on cloud nine when you're around."

I laugh lightly, shoving Max playfully.

"It's true. When she is around you she practically glows. I know I have done some pretty nasty things to her in my past but when she is around you… none of that matters. All that matters is that you are there. You can right every wrong she has ever faced. You make her life worth living and without you… she just couldn't take it."

"But without her… I can't take it. Didn't she think of that?" I mumble, trying to keep the bile from rising up.

"Just talk to her. That is all I ask. She has every right to hate me but you deserve a second chance. Go win over your woman."

Silence soon fills the hallway as we inch closer and closer toward her room.

"It just hurts." I finally break the silence, refusing to meet his gaze as I begin to crumble before him.

"I know Booth, I know."

"If she cared about me at all she would just wake up… why won't she wake up?" I finally look up at Max, knowing he is not the one with the answers. She is. "I did everything I could possibly think of… and it isn't enough. She just won't wake up." I look down at my shaking hands and sigh.

"I yelled at her Max… I really gave it to her. She will never forgive me for it. I… I didn't know what I was doing. One minute I was just venting and then I found myself sitting over her, yelling at the top of my lungs. I think I scared her." I stop walking and stare at her door, unable to push the door open, "I think I messed up big time."

"Well that woman is very stubborn. Sometimes she just needs to be put in her place. She is not a glass doll, she won't break."

I take one step toward the door and my shaking suddenly stops. A room that was once so filled with death has a warmth radiating from it… the glow it draws me and suddenly for the first time in weeks I feel at peace.

Max pushes the door open and begins to beam.

"Booth." I hear faintly and my heart jumps. I would know that voice anywhere. I step into the room and my heart shatters into a thousand pieces as the totality of the last few hours hits me like a ton of bricks.

How will she ever forgive me?


	16. Eight Hours Earlier

"So… lunch?" I swirl the remote in the air, smirking at the grunt coming from the other side of the room.

"Ha. Real funny. You just ate." She resumes flipping through a magazine she probably never even knew existed before today.

"No." I hold out my hand and count, "I ate four hours ago. And as my woman…"

"Prove it." She snaps.

"Wha… prove what?"

"You called me your woman. Prove it." She steps forward, thrusting the magazine in my lap.

I glance down, '100 ways to assert your dominance over your man' is written in bright red letters. Is she trying to say something?

"Well I assume by your curves and your inability to lie to me that you are a woman."

"And?"

"Well if you would please remote your clothing I could test my theory." I smile and lean back, catching her gaze as her eyes twinkle from excitement to fear.

"Never mind." She mumbles and turns but I catch her arm, forcing her to stop.

"Is this what you were reading?" I thrust my hand onto the paper, causing it to crinkle around my finger.

"You just…" She trails off, diverting my gaze.

I stand and lean onto the couch, clenching her hand in mine.

"Is this what you want?" I gaze into the side of her face, willing her to look at me. The beautiful blue orbs meet my eyes and suddenly come crashing down. "Is it?"

"Research." She mumbles, trying to pull her wrist from my grasp.

"I didn't know you were writing another book." I laugh lightly, pulling her closer. "Is Kathy going to make Andy as crazy as you make me?"

She looks up and fear riddles her body. She finches once as the tears well up.

"The op… I… I just want to be a good girlfriend." The tears begin to flow as she shatters, "I drive you crazy?"

"Bones… Bones…" I try to stop her heart from shattering, "Look at me."

She glances up then shrugs.

"It's the good kind of crazy. Okay? I love it." I release her hand and slump back.

She nods slowly, focusing on the checkered throw between us.

"Grilled cheese?" She asks in a mere whisper.

"Huh?"

"For… for lunch." She begins swirling her finger around the pattern, "You said you were hungry."

"Oh yeah, that sounds fantastic. Can we have-"

"With tomato soup." She look ups up and beams.

"Yeah." I brush my thumb against her check, "That would be perfect."

Without saying a word she turns and practically runs into the kitchen.

I shrug, resuming my position on the couch and scanning the magazine before me. Beside each tip is a note… and they are all about me. Hey, I do always leave food for her!

"Hey Bones, where did you get this magazine anyway?" I ask, still flipping through the pages and pages of notes.

"It was here when we got here." She shouts from the kitchen.

"Oh, okay." I shrug it off; this is not something she would be caught dead with.

I flip to the cover and gasp, running my fingers over her home address so clearly affixed on the cover. Maybe I don't know her as well as she knows me.

"Hey Bones… will you answer a few questions?" I turn on the couch, propping myself up against the back and smiling. From this view she looks absolutely stunning.


	17. Present Day Pt 10

"Sir, we need you to please leave." I see Max shoved into the corner, out of the way as two men approach me.

"But... I... She... We..." I mumble as they thrust me against the hallway wall.

"Sir, please." The two men plead.

"She was..."

"I know Sir, but just let us do our job."

I nod and slump against the wall, hoping the blurred frenzy will soon cease.

As soon as my eyes roll closed I feel a light tap on my shoulder.

"Seeley Booth is not here right now, please leave a message after the beep. Beeeep." I smirk.

"Seeley, stop." I hear a familiar giggle before me.

"Rebecca? Why are you here?"

"Parker starts football practice today and the only way I could get him to go was if I came here to check up on Dr. Brennan for him." She glances down at her watch. "His practice starts in an hour. He won't dress until he knows. He is more and more like you everyday, Seeley."

She smiles at me but I just nod, letting my mind continue to process the last few minutes.

"Shouldn't you be in there?" She points toward the door.

I shrug.

"I should."

"Then why aren't you?"

"Rebecca!" I glare, giving her a don't-mess-with-me tone.

"Okay, okay. So she is doing fine?" She glances down once more.

"Yes" I spit out as she turns, walking away while feverously dialing on her phone.

I watch her until she disappears down the hall then I focus back on the door. I watch as the hospital staff frantically shuffle in and out of the room.

Every time the door opens I try to catch a glimpse of the comotion but all I am able to see is a blur of bright blue scrubs.

My eyes shutter closed once more as I let the world fade away. My mind swirls around and around, finally stopping as a smile creeps across my face.

"She knows my name." I whisper to the wind, grinning from ear to ear.


	18. Present Day Pt 11

I watch as the last hoard of medical personal shuffle out of the room. Whatever just happened they seem… interested. If she was dead surely they would not be smiling, right?

I step forward and am once again throw back but this time rather than a thug of a nurse, it is the doctor.

"Only family is allowed in there." He steps forward, causing me to stagger back.

I just nod. I am too tired to fight. The last few weeks have been pure hell.

"I just want to know she is okay…" I whisper meekly as I look away.

"She is in a very fragile state and we…"

"He is more of her family then I will ever be." Max's voice breaks with shame, "He is the family she truly deserves."

"Max?" My voice squeaks in a higher octave at my surprise.

"You honestly thought I was just going to let you stay out here all by yourself? I told you, the woman needs you."

I shrug. "We have not had the best relationship in the world, Max. I arrested you."

"Eh, that is in the past. From the moment I met you… well from the moment I knew you weren't gay and had the hots for my daughter, I knew you were family."

He shuts the door and takes a step forward, leaning into the circle that has now formed.

"You love her don't you?"

"More then I have ever loved anyone else." A silly grin begins to form around my lips, "I would do anything for her."

"Well that is good enough in my book." He smiles, patting me on the shoulder.

"So Doc… are we clear? This man is family. I don't care what any piece of paper says he is family. F-a-m-i-l-y. Family. Got it?" Max snaps.

The doctor just nods, slightly scared at the sudden shift in Max's demeanor.

"Well if you two gentlemen would accompany me to the supply closet for your scrubs…"

My eyes suddenly shoot to Max in panic.

"Don't worry, Seeley my boy, just a precaution. All these medical types have to have everything sterile and neat." He smiles, patting my shoulder in comfort, "And when she says yes and you two go at it like rabbits… 'cause everyone knows you will, I want lots and lots of grand babies. Lots. A full football team. Got that in ya Booth?" He smiles and I blush.

"I don't see what a coma has to do with…" I try to avert my attention from the images of Bone pregnant fluttering through my mind. Could that be any hotter?

"We do not believe our original assumptions were correct. With the rapid physical responses and limited brain deterioration it is highly unlikely that the bullet was the source of the problem. Is there anyone out there that would want to harm her… that would be able to poison her?"

"She was shot, not poisoned. Shot." I look to my left, glaring at the doctor. "You should know that."

"Yes but…" He steps forward, swiping his card as the door pops open, "the damage that Miss. Brennan…"

"Doctor." Max says and we both snicker, "My daughter is a doctor. A PhD doctor. One with… smarts." He smirks.

"Dr. Brennan's injuries and difficult recovery coincide more with a poison then the bullet wound. The bullet was a clean hit. It should not have caused such severe trauma."

"So she wasn't in a coma?" I choke out.

I soon start to redden as my embarrassment is becoming quite evident.

She heard every word I said. Every dream professing, heart wrenching brutally honest, emotion filled word.

And if she runs?

I will die.


	19. Present Day Pt 12

As I night begins to fall down on the room and I drift slowly to sleep, the silence I have come to love is suddenly broken. It has been days since she awoke and she has yet to say a word. She seems to be lost in her own world of rational and reason. A nod and her death grip is the only proof she is in there… somewhere.

"…and he is dazzled by it." I hear a light rasp coming from the bed.

I suddenly jerk up and stand, trying not to scare her. For the last day or so her mind has been working in overdrive. They say it is just her adjusting to the new world around her but I know my Bones. And she looks… terrified.

"What did you say, Bones?" I whisper as I cautiously step forward.

She just shakes her head in anger, focusing intently on her hands.

"Dazzled?" She mumbles, looking up at me and willing me to understand.

"Who is dazzled by what?"

"You… she… we… case… knife… pie!" She looks around the room and lets out a faint groan in annoyance at my lack of understanding, "Cards!"

"So… you're hungry?... Or bored? Bones it is two a.m., you should be asleep."

She shakes her head, glaring at me.

"Then what, Bones? You are making no sense." I step up to the railing, trailing my hand lighting over her blanket.

As her glare intensifies I know I have done it. The poor woman has snapped. Without notice she leans forward, reaching her clammy hand out to make contact with my check. The loud slap wakes Max, and with wide eyes he slowly approaches trying to defuse the situation. The sudden burn that covers the right side of my face and the snicker coming from the old man behind me is evidence that the woman is out for blood… my blood.

"We should just let her rest." Max pats me on the back, with a sigh, "Maybe we should just try again tomorrow." His snicker has turned into a full out chuckle, "And bring a helmet... and a cup."

"No!" She shouts, clenching her fists.

"Okay Bones… I won't bring a helmet but if you keep that up I am bringing a cup."

"No!" She shouts again, fidgeting in anger.

"Then I will bring a helmet…" I look back at Max and glare.

Her glare just intensifies.

"Okay, okay. What do you want?"

She mumbles a few incoherent rumbles then stops, opening and closing her mouth as her cloudy mind tries to once again make sense of the world around her.

"You stayed." She finally softly whispers as she reaches out her hand, gentling rubbing the delicate, bright red hand print covering my jaw.


	20. Present Day Pt 13

"So she hasn't said a word since he left?" Cam turns to Angela and frowns.

"Nope, she won't even acknowledge anyone's presence." Angela shrugs. "Maybe she has amnesia?"

"Guys… I'm still here." I wave my arms back and forth as they pass me in the hallway.

They both suddenly stop and glare.

"I see he is hiding from her." Angela suspiciously eyes me.

"Maybe he is just a chicken after all?" Cam chuckles. "Are you Seeley?"

"I will have you know I am NOT a chicken." I stand between the two women and glare. "I just… she just… it has been a week and all she does is stare at me and mumble about being dazzled or stars or something."

"Think we should tell him what she was saying in her sleep last night?" Cam's voice drips with sarcasm "Do you think he deserves it?"

"Well he did bring us dinner but he has not seen his girlfriend in two days…"

"She is not my girlfriend" I shout then turn away, "yet." I mumble.

"What was that Seeley?"

"You know what I said, Camille. Now tell me… please?"

The two women eye each other then nod.

"Last night when the nurse came in to check her vitas she heard Bren mumbling on about making love in the ballistics room in the FBI basement. She didn't call it sex, Booth, she said making love. Never before has it been making love, it has always been sex and only sex with her."

"Maybe she was talking about… Agent Sullivan." I cringe and frown. "They did date… ya know." My voice cracks as I focus intently on the tile trying to suppress my anger. That piece of scum had his hands all over MY Bones. Mine.

"Ha! Sully? He was a chicken. The poor man wouldn't even kiss her in public. She was talking about a specific hunk of a special agent with a certain cocky belt buckle she bought him. Do you happen to know an agent that is head over heels in love with her that might fit that bill?" Angela smirks at my embarrassment.

"What? I don't…"

"Bull." Cam interrupts, "Stop kidding yourself. You have loved her long before I was here." She eyes me and smiles, "You loved her the day you met her. Don't deny it Seeley; I know you and you don't mess with this kind of stuff. You love her. Admit it."

"Well… maybe I do love her, okay? Maybe I love her so much I almost died when they took her away in the ambulance. Maybe I am just scared she will run again… maybe if I run she won't have to leave me." I sigh, knowing I have said too much. "Maybe I just… I love that blue eyed bombshell in there." I thrust my hand forward, pointing at the door that is slightly ajar. "Is that enough prodding for you two?"

I glare at the two women before me and storm forward, letting my blood boil with anger at my sudden outburst.

"Three. You mean the three of us." Angela's tone suddenly shifts to serious.

"Don't kid with me Angela." My voice is strong and unwavering.

"I'm not. Bren's door…"

"Bombshell?" I hear in a soft, angelic voice as my eyes suddenly focus on the door before me. "Booth… I…"

I suddenly freeze as Bones sits up in her bed and her eyes begin to haze. Her eyes quickly flicker with fear but it suddenly dissipates as they glow a bright blue, merging with the smile that is now filling her face with a red hue.

"Yes, Bones?" My voice croaks as I find myself mesmerized by her radiating smile.

"I… I don't know what that means." She speaks as she pats the bed next to her but the childlike giggle that soon fills the room and the sparkle in her eyes says she understood every word.


	21. Present Day Pt 14

As soon as I enter the room she slowly begins to fidget, refusing to look up at me. I slowly step across the room and take a seat in the chair across from the bed. I know where she wants me to be but the butterflies that are filling my being have won the battle and now she will have to deal with just close enough. She mumbles lightly then looks up, locking her eyes with mine.

"You think I am pretty?" Her angelic voice cracks.

"Of course Bones, you're beautiful." I lightly smile, "Any man would be stupid to not see that."

"You always say that but…" She breaks her gaze as her eyes flutter down, "you really think… I… I… am pretty?"

I nod slowly as I watch her begin to slowly blush.

"Even in that hospital gown, you look amazing." And that did it; her once light pink checks have now taken a bright red hue.

"Oh… okay." She speaks hesitantly as she pushes a half eaten sandwich around her plate.

"I see you haven't eaten your lunch." I let out a sigh; we both know why she hasn't eaten. "Bones, you gotta eat if you want any chance of getting out of here."

"But I wasn't hungry." She whines. "Have you eaten lunch?" She turns the tables on me and it sucks. We both know I have not eaten either.

"No but…"

"Pudding?" She mumbles softly, tapping the lid with a spoon.

"Huh?" I lean in, practically falling onto the bed and smile, knowing exactly what she is doing.

"Pudding… do you want my pudding?" She taps the lid once more and smiles, "It is vanilla."

"You don't like vanilla pudding though…"

"I know but you do." She giggles lightly.

"So you knew I would come back?" I walk to the side of her bed and slide in next to her.

"You always do." She beams, handing me the spoon.

"I will only eat this if you finish your lunch," I eye her once then tap the plate with my spoon, "all of your lunch."

"But…"

"Bones…" I take a scoop of the pudding and poke her chin with it, "don't make me make you eat this."

"Vanilla pudding… the horror." She puts her hands up defensively and laughs.

"No, vanilla pudding… the best hospital food ever." I pull the full spoon to my lips and swallowing the spoon full whole, "It really does wonders when you are sick. You really should eat some."

"I should you say?" She teases. "I am always up for some research." Her voice is dripping with seduction, causing me to shift uncomfortably on the increasingly small bed.

"Ye… yes…" I stutter, focusing on the small cup of white salvation before me.

"Well maybe I will." She smiles, leaning across the bed and licking the small bit of pudding off my bottom lip.

"I still don't like it but you are right" She smirks, "I feel better already." She giggles lightly as I turn bright red, refusing to look up from the cup.

"And Booth?"

I shift my body in acknowledgement, trying to will myself not to do anything I regret.

"I think you're pretty too."


	22. Present Day Pt 15

"Who thinks whose pretty?" Max staggers into the room, smiling then glaring at the proximity of me to his daughter, "No funny business you two." He waves his finger in my face then slumps in the now vacant chair.

"Your daughter is pretty." I shift, practically falling off the bed. "Beautiful, actually." I mumble as my checks begin to burn.

"Of course we all knew that son but that sounded like it came from ol' Tempe there." He laughs lightly then leans in, "And boy… you might want to get that taken care of, she may be drool worthy but she still is my baby girl."

"Bones did not call…" I growl, trying to fix my increasingly adamant problem but as the smell of lavender engulfs my senses I find the battle is all but lost.

"Booth, it is fine." She turns to me and smiles, placing her hand on my thigh, oh great… can this day get any worse, "And Dad… guys can be pretty." She glares.

"Only the fruity types!" Max chuckles, leaning back against the chair and smirking.

"Dad! Are you drunk?" Bones shrieks.

"What? I… I only had a few." He slurs, "And if you haven't noticed… your little partner over there is clearly not one of those. You have nothing to worry about baby. He is one hundred percent hot for you. So… when am I getting those grandbabies?" He eyes us both then chuckles, "I want a football team, ya hear me?"

"Dad!" Bones screams as she attempts to lunge at her father but the fact that she is pinned between her tray and my body makes her attempt futile. "Booth…. Move!" She shoves my side but I refuse to budge.

"No, Bones." I turn to her, placing her hands in mine, "You are in no shape to deal with your father. Just let me handle this and you finish your sandwich."

I place a kiss on her forehead as I release her hands then turn back to Max.

"Come on Max… we need to talk." I grab him by the shoulders and stand him up, "Now Max!" I bark.

"Booth we can just talk here…" He tries to sit back down but I begin shoving him out the door.

"No Max, no we can't." I finally shove him out the door and into a chair right outside the door, making sure there will be no witnesses.

"Booth?"

I turn and instantly smile.

"Yes, Bones?"

"Thanks." She beams.

"Anytime. We are partners, remember that Bones. Partners. I would do anything for you." I briefly smile then turn back to the heap of a man before me.

"Max… Max… Max… what in the world have you been doing?" I stand over the slumbering shell of a man and sigh, knowing that could easily have been me but the woman in that room changed everything.


End file.
